American Airlines' wholly-owned regional subsidiary PSA Airlines plans to resume new pilot hiring this year, a positive sign for an industry that was ravaged last year by the coronavirus pandemic but is now preparing to ramp up flying. As COVID-19 vaccines continue to roll out, airlines are hoping for a significant improvement in domestic air travel by the summer, even if demand does not fully yet recoup pre-pandemic levels. "As we continue to work with American Airlines to identify our flying needs this year, and in combination with recent attrition numbers for our Pilot group, we will be initiating hiring efforts for First Officer team members," Keith Stamper, VP of PSA's air operations, said in a memo. A PSA spokeswoman confirmed the plans, which also include new flight attendant hiring, but said: "We are declining disclosing specific hiring numbers at this time." For years, airlines including PSA were aggressively recruiting to address projected pilot shortages during an era of industry growth, but hiring and training programs were halted last year as the pandemic forced thousands of furloughs. Dayton, Ohio-based PSA, which operates domestic routes for American, furloughed 723 pilots and 323 flight attendants last October when an initial COVID-19 relief plan for US airlines expired. Employees were recalled last month following a fresh US$15b in government aid for the struggling industry.<br/>
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BA and Iberia owner IAG has agreed to buy Spain’s Air Europa for E500m under an amended deal, the companies said Tuesday. Under the amended deal, “the parties have agreed that the amount to be paid by Iberia for Air Europa will be reduced from an equity value of E1b to E500m the statement added. Payment will be deferred until the sixth anniversary of the acquisition’s completion, according to the statement. After originally agreeing to buy Air Europa for E1b in November 2019, IAG has been pushing to cut the price as the coronavirus pandemic threw the airline industry into crisis. International travel restrictions have brought the global transport sector to a grinding halt, pushing several airlines to rely on state aid.<br/>
Qatar Airways' Airbus A380 superjumbos will not fly again "for the foreseeable future", according to the airline's CE, with at least half permanently grounded. Akbar Al Baker said the world's largest passenger aircraft had been surpassed by more efficient alternatives such as the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The Qatar CEO said that the airline had never expected those aircraft to be as efficient as they have proven to be. "The 380, I think, is one of the worst aircraft, when it comes to emissions, that is flying today," he said. "This is why we have decided that we will not operate them for the foreseeable future. And even when we operate them, we will only operate half of the numbers we have. So if you are very interested to purchase some for yourself, I will sell it to you," he joked. Qatar Airways has 10 A380s in its fleet, having received its first superjumbo in 2014. The aircraft has fallen out of favour in recent years, with Airbus announcing it would stop manufacturing the giant plane this year. The retirement of A380s has been accelerated by the global downturn in air travel due to the pandemic, with few airlines continuing to fly the planes designed to carry more than 500 passengers. Qantas's superjumbos have been moved to long-term storage in California's Mojave Desert, while Singapore Airlines has stored some of its A380s near Alice Springs. Emirates will receive the last few A380s produced, with three new aircraft delivered to the airline last month.<br/>